Pumpkin Muffins

It's almost that time of year again!  One of my favorite times of the year!  FALL!!  Mmmm...fall, how I love thee!  The sights, the sounds, the smells, the flavors of fall...just wonderful!  I've been making these pumpkin muffins a few times a week for the last few weeks for the kiddos.  They love them!  And with the pureed pumpkin, the raw sugar, half wheat flour and local honey makes them kind of healthy, right?  Did you know you can make it even healthier and substitute some flax meal in place of the flour?  I'm not too sure how to do that with the mix recipe, but I just sprinkled some into the mix last time and the kiddos were non the wiser.  I'm sneaky like that!  *wink*

I wish I had a lovely picture of these lovelies sitting in a pretty basket, but I don't.  My kiddos grab these puppies as soon as they can that I don't get a good picture...so you'll just have to take my word for it that they are super yummy and delicious!  Instead I've used a lovely candle pic from Country Living.  M'kay?  *wink*

Another variation of the Basic Muffin Mix found HERE. (I'll put it all here since it has been a while since I've posted that recipe.)

Basic Muffin Mix
8 cups all purpose unbleached flour  (lately I have been using half white and half wheat -- the kids can't tell the difference!)
1 1/2 c. sugar (raw sugar is good and it's not noticeable, either!)
3 T. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg

Pumpkin Muffins
2 3/4 c. basic muffin mix
1 T. cinnamon (yep, more cinnamon! Yumm!)
1 c. milk
2/3 c. honey
1 egg, beaten
1 c. pumpkin puree
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2  c. oil (I use 1/4 c. oil, 1/4 c. applesauce)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray muffin pans with cooking spray.  Put muffin mix in medium bowl.  Combine egg, milk, honey, and oil in a small bowl.  Add wet ingredients all at once to muffin mix.  Stir until just moist.  Batter should be lumpy.  Spoon into muffin pans.  Bake approx. 15 - 17 minutes.  Makes 12 muffins.

Enjoy!
 

Cranberry Nut Muffins

This is another variation on the Basic Muffin Mix I posted last week.  Go to the Basic Muffin Mix post for that recipe. 

Cranberry Nut Muffins
1 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 chopped walnuts (pecans or almonds would be good, too!)
3 T. sugar

Gently fold into the batter before spooning into the muffin pan.

Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix the topping ingredients together and spoon over the muffins before baking.  Slightly press the topping into the tops of the muffins (helps the sugars to not fall off).

Enjoy!

Pancake Molds: The Easy Way!

I recently bought a bunch of pancake molds for a little bit of nothing at JoAnn's. It inspired me to make a nice breakfast of pretty shaped pancakes for the gang.  Recipe HERE.   I thought maybe ya'll would like to know how I did it!

I have to say that although I got a great deal at JoAnn's, they were a little on the cheap side; bent funny so that the batter seeped out the bottom.  It definitely pays to use the better kinds (I have a Pampered Chef star that works much better!)  I found these Star and Flower Pancake Egg Rings on Amazon.  They're Norpro brand so I have no doubt they will work well!

Just a few tips...

Spray the molds really well with non-stick cooking spray.  (You may need to spray them again after a few pancakes.)

Put the pancake batter in a squeeze bottle so you can have better control when putting the batter in the molds. 

Cook the pancakes on one side then, using the handle of the mold, flip the pancake over and tap it out of the mold.  (In most cases it should slide right out.)

To make the process quicker use 6-8 pancake molds at once. 

Try using cookie cutters!  (Not the ones with silicone handles, though.)  Put the cookie cutter upside down (the side that has the ridge) then when you flip it over (use tongs) you can tap it out of the cookie cutter easier.


Voila!  Lovely holiday style pancakes!

Homemade Buns

Homemade buns (this recipe found on cooks.com) are perfect for Creamy Chicken Sandwiches. Heavenly, I tell you! Give them a try!

Homemade Buns

1 c. boiling water 
1/2 t. salt 
1/4 c. sugar + 1/2 t. (divided)
1 T. shortening 
1 pkg. yeast  (2 1/4 t.)
1/2 t. sugar 
4 c. flour 
1 egg

Pour boiling water over sugar, salt and shortening.  Mix yeast in a little water (lukewarm -- about 1/4 c.)  Add 1/2 t. sugar.  When first mixture is lukewarm, add yeast mixture.  Stir in egg, and then flour. Let rise in a bowl covered with plastic wrap.  Then roll in small balls in greased 9x13 baking dish.  Let rise again (double in size).  Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Simple Garlic Bread

A friend made this for our family a while back and I was delighted over how simple it was and yet how flavorful!  I'm warning you, though, you can't just eat one piece.  

Garlic Bread

1 loaf of Texas toast (or Italian bread)
1 c. softened butter
2-3 T. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing dry mix packet
2 t. garlic powder

Mix the last three ingredients together and spread on Texas toast.  Lay toast on baking sheet and broil.  Keep a close eye to make sure the toast doesn't burn.

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Sugar Tea Braid

One last Blue ribbon winning recipe for you here at Old House Kitchen...that is until next summer.  *wink*  Noah made this tea braid for his 4-H foods project.  It's very yummy!  Enjoy!

Cinnamon Sugar Tea Braid

Dough:

1 T. active dry yeast 

1 1/2 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)

1/4 c. sugar 

1/4 c. canola oil

2 eggs whites, lightly beaten 

1 1/4 tsp. Salt

5 1/2 – 6 c. all-purpose flour 

Filling:

3/4 c. packed brown sugar 

1 T. ground cinnamon

5 T. butter, melted

Icing:

1 c. confectioners' sugar 1-2 T. milk

In stand mixer bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, oil, egg whites, salt and 1 c. flour; using paddle attachment mix until smooth. Mix in 3 cups flower until blended. Change to dough hook; add remaining flour (blend in) and knead on medium speed for 6 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the top. Cover and let rise until doubled (1 hour).

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Punch dough down and divide into two sections. Roll each ball into (approx.) 18-in. X 10-in. rectangles. On each rectangle use a pizza cutter to cut approx. 10 - 1 1/2” wide strips 3-4” inches in to center parallel to each side. Brush down the middle of the dough with butter; sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture down the center 4” of dough. Starting at one end of dough bring opposite strips in the center, twist over filling and lay down on filling. Continue, layering each twist/braid until last braid is tucked in. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled (20-30 minutes).

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to a wire rack to cool. Combine icing ingredients; drizzle over braids.

Enjoy!

Honey Yeast Rolls

When searching for yeast roll recipes my dear friend Karla over at The Culinary Enthusiast gave me this recipe.  She said it wouldn't disappoint.  It didn't!  I've had several people request this recipe after tasting this yummy roll!  Our eldest daughter, Rebekah, even won a Blue ribbon at 4-H judging a few weeks ago.  Enjoy!

Honey Yeast Rolls

Dough:

2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast 

1 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)

1/4 c. honey 

3 T. canola oil

1 1/4 tsp. Salt 

1 egg, slightly beaten

4 c. bread flour

Topping:

2 T. melted butter 

2 T. honey

In stand mixer bowl use a paddle attachment to combine yeast and warm water. Add honey, oil, salt, and egg and mix well. Add 3 c. of the flour and mix until the dough comes together in a sticky mass. Switch to the dough hook and, with mixer on low speed, incorporate the remaining 1 c. of flour. Continue kneading on low speed for about 8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size (1 1/2 - 2 hours).

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 30 seconds. Cover with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Punch the dough down and divide into 10-12 equal size pieces. Shape each piece into a smooth ball and place into a round, lightly greased 9x13 baking dish, spacing evenly. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot for 20-30 minutes (or until doubled).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the melted butter and honey, and brush the tops of the rolls with the mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and rolls are baked through.

Ultimate Cheddar Bay Biscuits

I found this recipe over at Suzanne's blog Chickens in the Road.  Yes, these are like the biscuits from that seafood restaurant that starts with Red and ends in Lobster...but better.  *wink*  I made them to accompany our Sunday afternoon chili.  And what a lovely companion it was!  These biscuits are sooo good!  It definitely passed the taste test of the whole family!  I even drizzled some of the butter topping over my mom's gluten free bread and popped that in the oven. She loved it!  I made a few tweaks to the recipe so it's a bit different than what you'll find at Suzanne's site.  Feel free to do some tweaking of your own.  That's the fun part of cooking! *wink*

Ultimate Cheddar Bay Biscuits

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. cream of tartar
1/4 t. salt
1/4 heaping t. ground cayenne pepper
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. grated mild cheddar cheese
3/4 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups milk

Topping
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/4 t. garlic powder
1 teaspoon parsley
dash of salt

Mix first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.  Cut in butter with a pastry cutter. Stir in cheese then add sour cream and milk. Scoop large spoonfuls of biscuit dough in a greased 9 x 13 casserole pan.  (Not a cookie sheet...you need an edge to catch the butter!) 

For the topping: Melt butter. Stir in garlic powder, parsley, and a dash of salt. Spoon half of the topping over unbaked biscuits.  Bake at 450 degrees for 20-ish minutes.  (Mine made 15 biscuits, but you can get more if you make smaller scoops.)  After removing biscuits from the oven, spoon the rest of the topping over them.  These are sooo good!  (Did I say that already? *wink*) Enjoy! 

Easy Homemade Dinner Rolls

 

I love my KitchenAid stand mixer!  What I love even more is that with it's help I can create wonderful dinner rolls in less than an hour!  (And the mixer came with a great cookbooklet with this recipe in it!!)

Homemade Dinner Rolls
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons butter
3 packets of active dry yeast (6 3/4  teaspoons)
1 1/2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour

Place milk, sugar, salt, and butter in small saucepan.  Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves.  Cool to lukewarm.
Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl.  Add lukewarm milk mixture and 4 1/2 cups flour.  Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer.  Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute.
Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 2 minutes.  Knead on Speed 2 about 2 minutes longer, or until dough is smooth and elastic.  Dough will be slightly sticky to the touch.
Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover.  Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 15 minutes.  Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. I either shape them into balls or you can make cloverleafs.  Divide dough into 24 equal pieces.  Form each piece into a ball and place in greased muffin pans.  With scissors, cut each ball in half, then quarters. 
Cover.  Let rise in slightly warm oven (90 degrees) about 15 minutes.  Bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks. 
 

Bananaberry Muffins

When I found out that my 9 year old daughter would be making muffins for her 4-H project I got the following recipe from my friend Karla over at The Culinary Enthusiast.  These muffins are similar to the Sour Cream Blueberry Bread that my family loves.  Heavenly! 

Bananaberry Muffins

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (I used two medium-sized bananas.)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fresh blueberries - rinse and pat dry  (You can use frozen, but rinse them to thaw and then dry with a paper towel.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray or grease muffin tin.
Place butter, eggs, bananas and vanilla in stand mixer.  Mix on low until just combined.
Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together with a wire whisk in a separate bowl.
Add dry mixture to the wet mixture in the mixer.  Mix on low until just combined.
Fold in blueberries with a wooden spoon or spatula. Reserve some to place on the tops.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Serve while still warm with butter.
Makes 12 wonderfully delicious muffins.

 Hannah with her muffins and Rebekah with her pretzels. My proud little cooks.  Judging is in a few weeks.  We'll be eating a lot of muffins and pretzels with all of the practice they intend to do!

Old House French Toast

I've revamped one of our favorite family breakfast dishes, again. It was good before, but this time it has a secret ingredient! Brown sugar!  It adds a delicious flavor to the french toast. It's so scrumptious! 

Old House French Toast

1 loaf buttermilk bread (approx. 18 slices)

8 eggs beaten
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 T vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup brown sugar (loosely packed)


Mix everything (except the bread!) together well. I use my electric griddle to cook french toast. I set it between 375 and 400, but use the temp you think is best and keep your eye on them! Lift up a corner...when the one side is done...flip 'em!  These are really good with Old House Baked Eggs, but we often have them all by themselves.  Enjoy!

Resurrection Rolls

I thought I'd post this in time for you to assemble the goods and make for your children for Good Friday or Easter weekend.

Resurrection Rolls

8 large marshmallows
1/4 cup melted butter
sugar/cinnamon mixture (approx. 2 T each)
1 10 ounce can of crescent rolls

1. Open can of crescent rolls and separate into triangles.  
The rolls represent the linen cloth used in covering the dead.

2. Dip and roll one marshmallow (representing the body) into melted butter.
The butter represents the oils used in anointing the dead body.

3. In a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar together. Roll the marshmallow in the mixture.
The mixture represents the spices used in burials.

4. Place the marshmallow in the center of the crescent triangle and carefully fold the dough around the marshmallow. (Pinch the edges tightly to seal in the marshmallow as it melts.) Put each crescent-wrapped marshmallow on a slightly greased cookie sheet or in a greased cupcake pan.

5. Bake the rolls in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes or until they are golden brown.  
The oven represents the tomb.

Let them cool. When the kids bite into them, they will see that the inside is empty!   
Just like the tomb was empty that wonderful morning!!

HE IS RISEN INDEED!   HALLELUJAH!

For more information on this wonderful Easter miracle read more HERE.

Monkey Muffins

A dear friend made these for us when we had just had our first baby. I had never had then before and thought they were heavenly. I got the recipe from her and my kiddos love them. Hope your family does as well.

Monkey Muffins

6 tubes flaky biscuit dough (the ones that have 10 in a tube)
2-3 sticks melted butter
2 1/2 cups white sugar
2 T cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar

Mix together cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Roll uncooked biscuits in cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place biscuits in a large buttered pan. (A bundt pan works well.) Mix remaining cinnamon and sugar mixture with brown sugar, sugar, and butter. Spread over the top of the pan evenly. Bake 20-30 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Simple Dough

If you are afraid of making your own bread dough, pizza dough, garlic sticks, etc. Fear no more! This recipe is adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day. I've made it an easy process.

Here are the ingredients:
6 c. warm water
3 T yeast
8 tsp. salt
13 c. flour (I use all-purpose unbleached)

All you need is a large 10 quart container. I mix the yeast and salt in warm water with a spoon. (Not hot, because you'll kill the yeast, but not cold because you want the water warm enough to activate the yeast. Think of it as warm enough for a baby's bath.) Add in the flour all at once. Mix it around with a spoon or your hands. (I remove my rings...picking dough out of the nooks and crannies is no fun!) Place the cover on top loosely and let it rise for about 2 hours. You can then either use it or place the lid on tight and refrigerate it for up to 2 weeks.

If you're going to bake it right after the 2 hour rising process then preheat the oven to 450 degrees. The important part is to bake w/steam. That means put a pie pan on the bottom rack with about 1/2 inch water in it. Be careful when opening up the oven, though...that steam likes to escape and it's a bit hot! (I don't use steam when baking pizza, though.)

This is the container I use..


This is the label that I have on it so I remember the directions...


This recipe will make about 4-6 pizza crusts (thinner is better)...or various amounts of bread sticks, or rolls. The easiest thing I do is pat it out onto a greased cookie sheet and bake it for about 15 minutes until slightly golden on top. When it's done I cut it up with a pizza cutter and serve with butter.

For garlic cheese bread I press dough into a pizza pan. I cut it in strips with the pizza cutter. Then I pour melted butter over the top. Sprinkle on garlic powder, basil, oregano, parmesan cheese, mozzarella, colby-jack and a little bit of cheddar. Bake for about 15 minutes. Enjoy!!

Ollie Kookins

Ollie what?? You say? Well you'd have to have known my grandma. She and grandpa owned a cottage on a lake in northern Michigan. Whenever we'd go there Grandma had some of her famous (well, famous with our family, anyway!) Ollie Kookins (pronounced oh-lee kook-ens) ready and waiting for me --er, I mean us! I kick myself for not writing this recipe down anywhere...grr!! But when you're young and enjoying life, you don't think about grandma not being there anymore to bake for you. So this is the closest I could find to a recipe (with a few tweaks).

Ollie Kookins

1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 c. warm water
2 1/4 c. flour (I use unbleached all purpose)
1 1/2 c. raisins
1 c. warm milk (100-110 degrees)
1/4 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
oil (in a deep fryer)
1 c. powdered sugar

Dissolve yeast with one teaspoon sugar and water -- let it sit for about 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the next 8 ingredients until well blended; add yeast mixture. Cover and let rise for one hour. Drop 2 tablespoonfuls of dough into hot oil in a deep fryer; fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Roll in powdered sugar. Serve immediately for the best of yummyness! Microwave to reheat. Makes about 2 dozen.

Mmm....I'm going to make some of these today.

Sour Cream Blueberry Bread

This is a regular morning treat at our house. Usually on Sunday mornings when we are busily getting ready for church. It's originally a Williams-Sonoma recipe but I've tweaked it a bit. The sour cream makes it so moist.

Sour Cream Blueberry Bread

2 med-ripe bananas
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 lg. eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 heaping cup of blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan. Mash bananas well w/ a fork and set aside. Stir together flour, sugar, soda, salt, and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, vanilla, butter and bananas. Stir wet and dry ingredients until moist. Carefully fold in blueberries. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 50-60 minutes (until done...test it first with a cake tester or knife). Let cool in pan on a rack for 5-10 minutes. Turn the loaf out onto the rack and cool completely. Wrap it up to keep it fresh. This bread freezes well, too!

--I quadruple the recipe to make four loaves at one time, but you'll need a really big bowl!

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits...Amish Style

Even though my family is large --huge by some standards-- we're still not Amish "size". Our Amish neighbors have 11 children! I thought I worked hard cooking for our crowd! They have 11 and some of them are big, strappin' boys! I have a few Amish Country cookbooks that I just love. Flipping through them gives me a glimpse into her life and an appreciation for cooking for a large crowd. From a few of these books I've found (and scaled down, believe it or not!) a great recipe for sausage gravy and homemade biscuits. Hubby loves these biscuits! He's a biscuit snob, so they must be good!

Sausage Gravy

1 lb. sausage

3/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

4 1/2 cups milk

Brown and crumble sausage (don't drain it). Add flour, salt and pepper and stir. If the sausage is dry, you may need to add a bit of shortening when adding flour. Add milk while stirring. Heat until it starts to boil and reduce heat and continue to stir until thickened. Makes about 5 cups of gravy.

Homemade Biscuits

4 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

8 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cream of tartar

4 tsp. sugar

1 cup shortening

1 1/3 cup milk

Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles course crumbs. Add milk all at once and stir until dough follows fork around bowl. Roll 1/2 thick.* Use a large glass or a canning jar to cut biscuits. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 30 biscuits.

*Note: The key to light and fluffy biscuits is not to work the dough too much.